Fantasy Baseball Best Value Picks Among Infielders: Cal Raleigh, Christian Walker, Luis Arraez, Alec Bohm, Xander Bogaerts and More

Fantasy baseball draft season has already started for some of us, and there’s plenty more that will join the mix in the coming weeks.

With that in mind, I wanted to highlight some value picks based on where I’m seeing players ranked across various sites. We’ll stick to the infield positions for this story.

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Catchers

I already wrote about some of the better fantasy options at catcher in another story, but in case you didn’t read through that one, here’s a quick recap.

Adley Rutschman, Will Smith, J.T. Realmuto and William Contreras are the consensus top four catchers off the board for most rankings and mock drafts. I really like Rutschman, Smith and Contreras, while not being as high on Realmuto as others. All are going at pretty reasonable spots for their production levels.

After those guys, there’s a pretty big dropoff before more catchers come off the board. When thinking about taking a fantasy catcher, the best attribute is games played, because that means more at-bats and more chances for fantasy production.

Salvador Perez has an ADP of between 125-150 in most rankings, and that’s good value because he plays a ton of games and is one of the best power-hitting catchers.

Cal Raleigh played in 145 games last season and should be able to get close to that number again because the team added catcher Mitch Garver - they can give each other breaks behind the dish. Raleigh led all catchers with 30 bombs last season and I’ve seen him with an ADP anywhere from 140-200. He’s another good value pick in my eyes.

Keibert Ruiz, who I’ve seen with an ADP between 175-200ish, was fourth among catchers with 136 hits a season ago - he played in 136 games. He lacks the power and RBI totals some other catchers have, but if you miss out on some guys you want, he’s a solid option later in drafts.

First Basemen

While perusing through some first basemen and then some of the top players across several stats a season ago, Nathaniel Lowe stood out first.

Lowe is ranked anywhere from 155-190 in the rankings I’ve come across, but was second to only Freddie Freeman in plate appearances for the season. Sure, he finished with way less hits than Freeman, but Lowe still was fourth among 1B. Lowe clubbed 38 doubles, three triples and 17 homers while driving in 89 last year. The Rangers’ lineup is still loaded this season, so there should be plenty of opportunities for him to put up good fantasy numbers again.

Yandy Diaz was second behind Freeman in hits among first basemen last season. He had 57 extra-base hits, 95 runs scored and 78 RBIs, so he’s not just an on-base machine. Diaz is ranked anywhere from 100-120 in most rankings, and could easily be a top-five fantasy option again, like he was last season.

Christian Walker is another guy I like as a great value pick. He’s pretty consistently going in the 70s in drafts, but is usually behind seven or so other 1B. He was a top-five fantasy finisher last year and could easily do that again in the loaded Diamondbacks’ lineup, so this is great value if you draft him around his ADP.

Second Basemen

Nico Hoerner is one of my favorite value picks at 2B. He’s ranked between 60-70 but usually slips into the 80s or even 90s in most mock drafts. Maybe that changes as the season gets closer, but if you can land him later, you’ll be thrilled with the production you get in return.

Luis Arraez is another contact hitter that I love. He’s ranked around 140th most often, and usually slips even further in mocks. He was a top-five fantasy finisher a season ago, but is ranked around 12th at the position this season. Even if he can’t match his insane average from a season ago, he’s a great value pick. If you miss on the top options at the position, he’s a fantastic option later on.

Brandon Drury is another guy who has 2B eligibility in most leagues - he should also have 1B eligibility, but is expected to be the DH most often this season. Drury is ranked anywhere from 200-225 this year. He slips under the radar a bit after only playing in 125 games last season. He clubbed 59 extra-base hits and drove in 83, so if he can get closer to a full season under his belt at similar numbers, he could easily be a top-10 option despite being ranked about double that.

Third Basemen

Alex Bregman, who I’ve seen ranked anywhere from 75-100 is falling under the radar for some reason. He led all third basemen in plate appearances last season, while finishing with a .262 average, 57 extra-base hits, 103 runs scored and 98 RBIs. He nearly led the position in fantasy points, but is now the eighth or ninth 3B off the board. I’d be thrilled to get Bregman at this point of the draft.

Alec Bohm is another guy that plays a bunch and has decent numbers but is being drafted fairly late - I’ve seen him ranked between 140-190. He challenged for a spot in the top five at the position last season and will hit in one of the premium spots in the Phillies’ loaded lineup. Bohm also should have 1B eligibility, so what’s not to like? I love Bohm as a sleeper pick in this year’s draft.

Shortstops

There’s a bunch of shortstops that I think are fantastic value picks going into the season. 

Xander Bogaerts is one of them - he’s ranked anywhere from 90-105 this season. He finished third at the position in hits a season ago. His homers and RBIs were down, but he still scored 83 runs and challenged for a spot inside the top five at the position. I think he’ll post better numbers in his second season with the Padres, which would make him an absolute steal if you get him near this point of the draft.

Another shortstop I like is Jeremy Pena. He’ll hit toward the bottom of a loaded Astros’ lineup, but still should have a good amount of RBI chances. He wasn’t a super high finisher at the position, but he finished with the seventh-most hits along with finishing ninth in runs scored. He’s a perfect option for a second or third shortstop and is ranked 185-220 and usually falls to the latter portion of drafts.

CJ Abrams is typically ranked 30-45, but I’ve seen him falling much later than that in mocks and real drafts. He was a top-10 finisher at the position a season ago. People get spooked off him with his .245 average, but if he falls, his 47 steals, 83 runs scored and 64 RBIs turn into a pretty good value pick.

Another name I want to throw out there is Willy Adames. His .217 batting average has him ranked typically in the 160s or 170s, but he’s a good source of home runs and runs batted in and will hit in a run-producing spot in the Brewers’ lineup this season. His average last season was easily the worst in his six-year career, so there’s also a decent chance that he hits much closer to his .247 career average. There’s some risk involved for sure, but that late in the draft, he’s a potential massive steal if he reverts closer to his career average while keeping his power up.